Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Advisor

Job Title:                               Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning(MEL) Advisor

Program:                               Kenya Feed the Future Food Systems Activity

Reports to:                            MEL Manager

Position location:               Nairobi with travel to Western, Eastern and Northern Kenya

Grade:                                   7

TechnoServe Background:

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

Program Overview

The Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems is a five-year USAID project designed to increase agricultural production and productivity, increase resilience capacities, and improve nutrition outcomes in 9 counties in Kenya – Bungoma, Busia, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kakamega, Makueni, Migori, and Siaya. The program will also support investments in other regions of Kenya to support the flow of food, goods, and services to the 9 focal counties and strategic corridors in the Northern ASALs.

Food systems are critical to Kenya’s economic development, as the agri-food sector contributes to more than half of the nation’s gross domestic product and employs over 70% of the rural population. Kenya’s agri-food sector has the potential to support inclusive and resilient economic growth and deliver nutritious diets to vulnerable populations. LFS will capitalize on Kenya’s economic growth and growing cities, the emergence of innovative and dynamic agri-food businesses, and the GOK’s investments in economic development to accelerate inclusive growth in the agri-food sector.

LFS supports four priority objectives, as well as a number of crosscutting objectives, to catalyze transformational changes in the food system. These include:

• Increased productivity, profitability, and diversity in the local food system
• Strengthened resilience capacity for HHs, communities, and institutions to mitigate risks and shocks in the local food system,
• Increased access to and consumption of adequate safe, nutritious food, especially by women and children
• Strengthened collaboration, iterative learning, and adaptive management for effective locally led development

LFS will use key leverage points to anchor its approach to implementation of five work streams:

• First and last mile service provision
• Entrepreneurship development
• Food and Feed Markets / Processing
• Policy Alignment and Influence
• Collaboration, learning, and adapting

The Role

The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Advisor will support the effective implementation of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework for the Food Systems Activity (FSA), ensuring quality assurance, accountability, documentation, and activity learning. Reporting to the MEL Manager, the MEL Advisor will collaborate with the field teams, consortium partners, and technical leads to facilitate robust data collection and analysis, quality assurance, and utilization of data for evidence-based decision making.

The MEL Advisor will play a key role in enhancing the capacity of field MEL and Activity teams and ensuring that data systems and processes align with TechnoServe and USAID guidelines.

Key Roles and Responsibilities: 

MEL System Support and Coordination

• Assist the MEL Manager in refining and implementing the MEL framework, ensuring alignment with Activity objectives and USAID guidelines.
• Collaborate with consortium partners to ensure the integration of MEL practices across all regions and activities.
• Support the rollout and maintenance of the FSA Management Information System (FSA MIS) to ensure seamless data flow and reporting.

Data collection and Quality Assurance

• Develop and test data collection tools and protocols in collaboration with the MEL manager, technical leads and field teams.
• Conduct periodic field-level monitoring and verification to ensure data accuracy, timeliness, and consistency.
• Support data quality assessments and participate in USAID-led external reviews, addressing data quality issues effectively.
• Oversee the implementation of FSA assessments and evaluations , such as baseline surveys, annual outcome surveys/ participant-based assessments etc., to generate actionable insights.
• Ensure adherence to TechnoServe's and USAID guidelines and data protection standards in all MEL activities.
• Maintain robust documentation of MEL processes, methodologies, and results for audits and reviews.

Reporting and analysis

• Contribute to the preparation of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports, including data visualization and performance insights.
• Aggregate and analyze data to identify trends, supporting Activity planning and decision-making.
• Assist in compiling quarterly scorecards and other performance monitoring tools.

Capacity building and Technical Support

• Provide ongoing training to field MEL teams and Activity staff in data collection, management, analysis, and reporting to ensure alignment with FSA MEL standards and practices.
• Provide targeted technical assistance to consortium partners, ensuring alignment with FSA MEL framework and standards.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making within FSA by promoting the importance of MEL practices and encouraging its integration into day-to-day operations.

Accountability and Beneficiary Feedback

• Assist in the development and management of beneficiary feedback mechanisms, ensuring insights inform Activity adjustments.
• Analyze feedback data and provide actionable recommendations to enhance Activity accountability.

Desired Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Economics, Monitoring & Evaluation, or MEL related field. A Master’s Degree is preferred.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in designing and implementing monitoring and Evaluation systems for complex projects funded by USAID, preferably in food security and nutrition- related projects.
• Knowledge of USAID MEL technical principles, guidance, and concepts, and experience collecting, analyzing, and reporting USAID indicators.
• Proficiency in GIS software use in development programming.
• Advanced computer skills, including analytical software (e.g. Advanced Excel, SPSS, STATA, R, or Python) and data visualization programs (e.g. Advanced Excel, Tableau, Power Bi)
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing MEL technology platforms to enhance data collection, management, analysis, and reporting processes, a plus       
• Knowledge of web-based surveys (e.g. ONA, google forms, Comm Care) is desirable.
• Experience in supporting and strengthening the government/county M&E system.
• Experience and skills in partner relationship management, participatory action planning and community engagement is a plus.
• Ability to travel across the country  to support data collection.

Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:

• Communication Skills: Ability to present concise ideas/ findings, translate the data into an understandable document, and easily communicate complex ideas. 
• Critical Thinking: Ability to look at the numbers, trends, and data and get to concise conclusions based on the findings.
• Attention to Detail: Data is precise hence the ability to be vigilant in data analysis to arrive at correct conclusions.
• Analytical Skills: Ability to work with large amounts of data and analyze large datasets: facts, figures, and number crunching. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well within a multi-cultural team environment.

Additional notes:

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability, and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe, please get in touch with Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.

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